Government
Malaysia is a constitutional elective monarchy made up of a federation. Its head of state is Yang di-Pertuan Agong, known as the King of Malaysia, who is elected for five years from among the sultans of the Malaysian states, the remaining four states, which elect governor, are excluded from his election.
Its system of government is based on Westminster parliamentarism, which is a legacy of the British Empire. Since its independence in 1957 the country has been governed by the multi-party Barisan Nacional coalition (formerly known as the Alliance).
The legislative branch is divided into federal and state legislatures. The Parliament of Malaysia is made up of a lower house, the “House of the People”) and the upper house, which corresponds to the Senate and is called the “House of the Nation”). The two hundred and twenty-two members of the first chamber are elected by suffrage for five years. For their part, the seventy senators are elected for three years, twenty-six of them by the assemblies of the thirteen states, two representatives from Kuala Lumpur, one for each federal territory of Labuan and Putrajaya, as well as 40 directly elected by the king.
At the federal level, each state has a legislative chamber whose members are elected from electoral districts with only one representative. The parliamentary elections are held at least once every five years, most recently in March of 2008. Registered voters over the age of 21 can vote for members of the House of Representatives and in many states also for the national. Voting is not mandatory.
The executive branch is established in the national Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister. The Constitution stipulates that the Prime Minister must be a member of the lower house of parliament. The members of the cabinet are chosen from among the members of the two houses of parliament, for whose operation it is responsible.
The state government is led by Chief Ministers (Menteri Besar in the Malay states and by Ketua Menteri in the rest), which is a state assembly. In each of the states with hereditary rulers, the Chief Minister must be Malay and Muslim.
Political-administrative organization
Malaysia is a state in Southeast Asia. Mainland Malaysia is bordered by Thailand to the north, the South China Sea to the east, Singapore to the south, and the Straits of Malacca to the west. Insular Malaysia is located in the North of the island of Borneo. It borders the South China Sea (North and West), the enclaves of the Sultanate of Brunei (East) and the southern half of the island, occupied by Indonesia. The capital is Kuala Lumpur.
The country, divided in two by the South China Sea, is made up of two very unevenly populated groups: to the North, by the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula (mainland or western Malaysia). The southern region, to the south, occupies the northern territories of the island of Borneo (eastern or insular Malaysia), and includes the states of Sabah, to the northeast of the island, and Sarawak, to the west of it.
Peninsular Malaysia (or West Malaysia) on the Malay Peninsula shares a land border in the North with Thailand and is connected by the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the second Malaysia-Singapore link in the South with Singapore. It is made up of nine sultanates (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu), two states run by governors (Malacca and Penang), and two federal territories (Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur).
Malay Borneo (or East Malaysia) occupies the northern part of the island of Borneo, limits Indonesia to the south and surrounds the two enclaves that constitute the Sultanate of Brunei. It is made up of the states of Sabah and Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan.
The capital and largest city is Kuala Lumpur. Putrajaya is the federal administrative capital. Although many executive and judicial branches of the federal government are located in that city, Kuala Lumpur remains the legislative capital and is the seat of Parliament. It is also the main commercial and financial center on a national scale.
Other capital urban centers of its peninsular states are Johor Bahru, George Town, Ipoh, Malacca City, Seremban, Kota Bharu, Alor Setar, Shah Alam, Kuala Terengganu, Kangar and Victoria. In Borneo the capitals are Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
Sports
According to andyeducation, Malays are enthusiastic athletes, playing many international sports in the country. Popular national sports played in Malasaia are soccer, badminton, hockey, tennis, and squash. Other activities of interest include cycling, cricket, bowling, rugby, table tennis and Grand Prix racing.
In 2010, the Malaysian National Soccer Team won the eighth ASEAN Cup [2] in Jakarta, the tournament that since 2008 has been called the Suzuki Cup and in the past was known as the Tiger Cup.
Some important competitions held in the country are:
- Malaysian Grand Prix in F1
- Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix
- Tennis WTA Kuala Lumpur
